Soeth



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. HEIMSOETH.

MEANS FOR SAPELY COUPLING 0R UNGOUPLING THE PIPES 0F PNEUMATIC BRAKES 0R STEAM HEATING APPARATUS 0N RAILWAY TRAINS. A

N. PETERS Phm-Lnhu n her, Washington. 0. c

(No Model.)

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. B. HEIMSOETH.

MEANS FOR SAFELY GOUPLING OR UNGOUPLING THE PIPES 0P PNEUMATIC BRAKES 0R STEAM HEATING APPARATUS 0N RAILWAY TRAINS.

Patented Marrl9, 1889.

N, PETEns. Pholn Lvlhographer. Washington D. C.

UNITED STaTEs PATENT @lrricn.

BARTHOLOMAEUS HEI MSOETII, OF COBLENTZ, PRUSSIA, GER-MANY.

MEANS FOR SAFELY COUPLING OR UNCOUPLING THE PIPES 0F PNEUMATiC BRAKES 0R STEAM-HEATING APPARATUS ON RAILWAY-TRAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,894, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed an ry 10, 1883x Serial No. 260,272. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BARTHOLOMAEUS HEIM- SOETH, of Coblentz, in the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire, have invented a new and useful Improved Means for Enabling the Pipes of Pneumatic Brakes or Steam-H eating Apparatus in Railway-Trains to be Safely Coupled and Uncoupled, of which the following is'a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, no patents being obtained by me anywhere for this invention.

This invention relates to improved means for enabling the pipes of pneumatic brakes or steam-heating apparatus in railway-trains to be coupled and uncoupled without the operator necessarily passing bet-ween the carriages.

And in order that this invention may be readily understood, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereof Figure 1 represents in plan, and Fig. 2 in front elevation, a portion of the frame of a railwaycarriage to which apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention is applied. Fig. 3 shows in side view two such appliances respectively attached to adjacent carriages, and Fig. at represents the apparatus in th e position suitable for enabling the brakepipes or steam-pipes to be coupled or uncoupled without danger.

Between the buffers of each carriage, and by preference centrally, is mounted a radiusrod, a, carried in the bracket 1'), about which the free end of the said rod vibrates. Two branch pipes or bends, e e, provided with suitable stop-cocks, are attached to the free end of the pivoted rod a. The train-pipes no a; are connected with the branches 6 e by means of the flexible pipes ff. The branches 0 e, appertaining to each of two adjacent carriage ends, are united by means of the flexible pipes f f, each pair of the latter being connected by a coupling, g. Two spring hooks or clips, g, are provided on the bar a for the reception of the tubes f when disconnected. The pivoted end c of the rod a is formed or furnished with a toothed gear adapted to engage with a rack, Z), forming part of a horizontal sliding bar, I). The lat ter is provided at each extremity with a handle, (Z, pivoted at s, a projection, 7L, and for engaging therewith a spring-catch, 2/.

Each

handle (Z is further provided with a campiece, (1, against which the spring i normally bears, the handle (Z being thereby maintained in an upright position. \Vhen the pivoted rod a is vertical, it is maintained in that position by the sliding bar Z), the latter being held between the two catches it hen, however, one of the handles d is depressed, the free end 0 of the spring-catch t' is also depressed by the action of the cam-piece d, and the projection h is released from the catch 2', the

bar I) thereupon becoming free to partake of longitudinal motion and to actuate the rod a. The rod a, when vibrated to its full extent, rests upon one or other of the supports 72.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: \Vhen it is desired to couple, uncouple, 0r suspend the flexible pipes, the operator, without passing between the carriages, depresses one of the handles (Z, thereby throwing one of the springcatches 2 out of action and pushes the sliding bar 1) toward the opposite side of the carriage, with the result that the upper extremity of the pivoted rod a is caused to fall toward him and to assume a position in which the desired coupling or other operation may be accomplished with safety. llaving completed the work, he then pulls back the sliding bar into its original place, thereby restoring the rod a to its vertical position, and, having liberated the handle (1, the springcatch i locks the bar Z) and rod a in their respective working positions.

'What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

An apparatus for safely coupling or uncoupling the pipes of pneumatic brakes or steam-heating apparatus on railway-trains, consisting of radius-rods a between the buffers of each carriage, the upper ends of said rods being in connection with each other by means of branch pipes e, toothed gears a, secured to radius-rods a, sliding bars I), with racks Z), for turning the toothed gears a, spring-catches it in the sliding bars I), and projections 76, for catching spring-catches 2' v substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

B. IIEIMSOETH. 

